"Amon Solaris! Marry me!"
Amon looked down at the determined young girl with words stuck in his mouth. It was the first time he'd ever been proposed to, and he didn't know how to reply. For one, Amon has never been in a relationship. In his past life, he'd spent all twenty-five years fighting in wars without resting.
At the same time, he wasn't given the opportunity to mingle with anyone as his country treated him as a military asset and didn't want any sultry women to contaminate or influence him to defect. And in this life, he'd spent ten years learning to be a child, barely interacting with other girls his age.
As a result, even though he had lived for a combined thirty-five years, Amon had never experienced love before.
Ignoring the emotional aspect of it, Yue's proposal brought tremendous benefits to Amon. With her knowledge of the future and Amon's memory from [Bright], the pair would be an unstoppable force. Plus, the engagement would likely provide Amon with deep pockets in the future, giving him the freedom to do as he pleased.
Therefore, the decision was a no-brainer.
However, Amon couldn't help but feel that something was missing…
'No matter, I shall take her hand for now. If I feel something is wrong, I could always cancel the engagement or, in the worst case scenario… just silence her completely.'
Amon cleared his mind and let out two coughs. Staring straight into Yue's crystalline ruby eyes, he replied firmly:
"Alright, let's proceed with the engagement."
Hearing Amon's words, Yue's fairy-like face twisted into something sinister. It was as if the succubus queen herself had descended onto the ethereal beauty's body, causing Amon to step back with caution. However, as he sensed no particular change in her physical state, Amon could only chalk that brief lapse of her appearance to his overthinking.
"A-Ahem, you said you could fix my mana problems?"
Amon abruptly changed the subject. He didn't want to be led into a pointless conversation about romance anymore and sought to solve his more pressing problem.
"Yes," Yue understood Amon's ploy and played along. After all, she had planned for something even more fun. "The root of your mana problems is due to the mismatch of your body and soul."
"Mismatch of my body and soul?"
Amon repeated her words while deeply considering their implications.
"Yes. Amon, I'm sure you know of this, but the members of the Solaris House are born differently. You may look human on the outside, but your bodies are anything but."
"Yeah…"
Amon was well aware of this fact. Not just by reading [Bright] for many years, but after he arrived in this world, his parents, mainly his father, drilled him about the history of the Solaris House.
The Solaris House was one of humanity's greatest protectors and a prestigious House as old as modern civilisation itself. Why? Humans were a historical footnote during the Age of the Dragons, where mythical monsters roamed, and Dragons ruled Hyades.
They weren't the dominant species like now, and many humans simply lived under Dragons as their servants. However, that all changed during the Great Dragon War.
Some Dragons became drunk in their lust for power, and their greed led them to tamper with the fabric of reality. They weren't content with being the world's rulers and aimed for Godhood themselves. That burning desire had massive ramifications, causing untold amounts of death and destruction. And not just for the Dragons, but for every living creature in Hyades.
But not all Dragons were set on destroying the world. Half of them aimed for harmony between Dragons and the rest of the planet, causing them to launch a civil war against their insatiable kin.
However, the two sides were equally matched. Even after centuries of turmoil, no one side could get the better of the other. They were acutely aware of each other's strengths and weaknesses, making it difficult for the righteous Dragons to defeat the evil ones.
And that's when the leader of the righteous Dragons, the Golden Dragon Sovereign, devised a paradigm-shifting plan.
The righteous Dragons would utilise the strength of humanity to tilt the scales of war in their favour. Although humanity was weaker than Dragons, if they were blessed by the Dragon Sovereigns and trained accordingly, there was a chance for humanity to defeat the dreaded evil Dragons and bring peace to Hyades.
And that was the birth of the first Dragon Slayers.
The righteous Dragons chose their champions and strengthened them beyond the limits of regular humans. Some could smash into mountains with their bare hands. Others could fly effortlessly through the skies like a bird with supersonic wings. And in the end, many Dragon Slayers could single-handedly kill the dreaded Dragons that once trampled over them like they were mere ants.
However, the strongest of the lot was unquestionably the Dragon Slayer personally blessed by the most powerful Dragon of the time, the Golden Dragon Sovereign.
The Golden Dragon race was blessed with the power of the Sun. Its skin was tougher than steel, and it had the ability to harness fire and light at will. The Golden Dragon Sovereign was the most adept and was considered a demi-god due to its lack of weaknesses. Obtaining its blessing and training made its champion the undisputed greatest of all humanity.
And the man chosen to be the Golden Dragon Sovereign's champion was none other than the founder of the Solaris House.
The Solaris House founder fought in the Great Dragon War with the Golden Dragon Sovereign and the rest of the Dragon slayers, ending the evil Dragons' reign of terror and finally bringing down the terror that threatened Hyades.
However, the war was not won without a cost.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of Dragon Slayers died during that war, and almost all of the Dragons were wiped out, nearly pushed to the brink of extinction. Hence, the remaining Dragons hid themselves to prevent their race from dying, never to be seen again.
As for humanity, with no Dragons remaining, they inherited the mantle of responsibility and took over as the planet's dominant species. The Solaris House founder decided to immortalise his deeds forever and created the Solaris House to serve as a beacon of hope for humanity.
So much time had passed since the end of the Great Dragon War, and many believed the tales they heard were nothing more than legends.
However, proof of the Dragon Slayers remained. And that proof was the very existence of the Solaris House.
Their innate draconic bodies were immune to sickness and disease—their tenacious bodies that were as hard as steel and their immense mana pool. And the most prominent feature they had… Their golden eyes, which seemed to reflect the Sun's splendour, were unquestionably the product of the Golden Dragon Sovereign's blessing being passed down from generation to generation.
"Amon, your foundations are undoubtedly strong. The rich golden colour of your eyes is proof of that. However, your soul is not of Solaris origin, so you cannot utilise Solar mana well."
"... My soul isn't from here, so I can't use Solar mana?"
Amon's eyes flashed a light of understanding. He'd always felt like something was missing whenever he attempted to channel mana as if his body itself was rejecting his mana control. But now, with Yue's one sentence, he could connect the dots.
"So you're saying that the mana within me isn't Solar mana to begin with?"
"Precisely!"
"So what mana do I have?"
"Hehe, what do you think? [Lunar Blade]?"
"Ah…"
Amon's eyes widened. Not because he was surprised that Yue knew about his nickname in his previous life but also because he understood the implications of her words.
"Lunar mana in a Solar Body… I see… It makes sense that I can't use mana well then."
As much as he didn't want to admit it, Yue's deduction was correct. There was no other explanation for his poor mana control otherwise. With the issue identified, Amon could now work to fix it. However, changing his Lunar mana into Solar mana would be too inefficient and, not to mention dangerous. Solving his mana control problems would open a new can of worms he could not unseal.
Fortunately, Amon didn't have to do all the heavy lifting. He glanced over at Yue, who had a cheeky face with her chin raised high. Sighing, Amon covered his forehead and looked down.
'I guess I have to rely on her then…'
"So? How do I resolve this issue?"
"Hehe, I'd thought you would never ask!"
Yue smiled so brightly that her pearly white teeth were on full display. Tip-toeing towards him, the girl chuckled.
"If you don't have any Solar mana, all you need to do is get some!"
"... What do you mean?"
Amon knew he was dancing in the palms of her hands, but he couldn't just let this opportunity slip by. The sooner he could resolve his mana issues, the earlier he could start training and the stronger he would be when the first calamity arrived.
"Well, if you want Solar mana, you can just ask for a new blessing that grants you that mana!"
"Could you do that? No, could any human bestow Solar mana onto another?"
In the whole of [Bright], nowhere was it mentioned that a human could bestow mana onto another human. If they could, the Solaris House would have millions, if not billions, of super soldiers at their beck and call. But the only beings mentioned in [Bright] that could bestow blessings like that were the Dragons.
"Wait… You can't mean…"
As he observed Yue's expression turn from a radiant smile into a blind, dazzling one, Amon couldn't control his eyelids from unconsciously twitching.
"Hehe, let's go find her! The last remaining Golden Dragon!"